Cuban Hearts
by WriterChick2391
Summary: Katey Miller's life didn't exactly turn out the way she wanted to. Now married to James Phelps and the mother of two, something in her life is missing. And she finds it- all the way back in Cuba. R&R, PG-13 to be safe.
1. Katey's Blues

A/N: Well, I love the movie, so I decided to write this... hope you like. (This takes place in the early 70s.)  
  
"CUBA? We're moving to CUBA?" Jessica Phelps screamed.  
  
"I don't think they heard you down there yet, Jessy," her younger brother, James Jr., replied.  
  
"Well then maybe I should say it louder. CUBA?!" she screamed, right into his face.  
  
"Ewww! You spat on me! Momma, she spat on me!" James complained.  
  
Katey Phelps walked over to her son, and rubbed his shoulder and wiped the spit off of his face. She looked over to her daughter.  
  
"Quiet down, Jessica," she said calmly, even though her insides were tearing her apart.  
  
Katey Phelps used to be the quiet, young Katey Miller who fell in love years ago in Havana. Javier Suarez was the love of her life, yet she ended up marrying the wretched slimeball that couldn't ever keep his hands off of her, James Phelps. Rich, some-what good-looking James had "swept" her off of her feet after the Miller and Phelps families moved back to Chicago. She was still vulnerable, and he had taken advantage of it. Now Katey regretted the gold band that sat on her finger every day of her life.  
  
"Quiet DOWN? Mother, you're making me move to some... some... third-world country and I should QUIET DOWN?" Jessy yelled back.  
  
Katey's eyes grew a look of sorrow and anger of them.  
  
"Third-world? Don't you ever- EVER call-" Katey was interrupted by a tight grip on her shoulder.  
  
"Darling... may I talk to you for a second?" James asked his wife, smiling to his children.  
  
"Of course," Katey consented, her voice full with shame.  
  
James was completely clueless to the fact that Katey wasn't in love with him. He was at first a bit skeptical at the fact that his job called for him to move back to Cuba, yet he looked at it as a romantic getaway. Cuba, after all, was the place he and Katey had met.  
  
"Children, I want you to go and start to pack the things in your rooms. Posters, pictures, toys... and your winter clothes. You won't need them where we're going," James instructed.  
  
"So we're really going, papa? All the way to Cuba?" James Jr. asked his father.  
  
"All the way to Cuba," James said, smiling.  
  
He wrapped an arm around his wife's waist and led her into the kitchen.  
  
"So... I just got back from work. We leave in two days," James told her.  
  
"Two days? James... we have so much to take care of..." Katey said, just to get her mind off of anything but Havana.  
  
"It's all been done. Plane, accommodations... can you believe that the hotel we lived in is still there?"  
  
Katey tried with all of her heart not to start bawling. That hotel held so many memories for her... especially the first time she met Javier.  
  
"No... I can't," was all she got out.  
  
"So all we have to do is pack, and sort out things with the kids' schools," James told her, completely oblivious.  
  
"Alright. Good. I'll, uh, do some packing... so why don't you go do the school thing?" she asked him.  
  
"Great," he smiled. He kissed her forehead, and waved goodbye to his children as he grabbed his keys and left the expensive, two-floor townhouse he and his family shared.  
  
Katey walked into her bedroom and sat down on the bed next to the phone. She picked it up and dialed her sister, Susie's number.  
  
"Hello?" her sister picked up, her voice as perky as ever.  
  
"Hi," Katey replied, trying not to sound too morbid.  
  
"Katey? What's wrong?"  
  
"James, the children, and I are moving back to Cuba on Thursday."  
  
Katey heard the faint break of a plate on the other side of the phone.  
  
"What?" Susie asked in amazement.  
  
"Can you come over and help me pack?" Katey asked, knowing that Susie was the only person she could talk to about Javier.  
  
"Of course- I'm on my way out the door. See you in ten?" Susie said, grabbing her purse and keys.  
  
"Okay. Thanks, Suze," Katey replied, but Susie had already hung up the phone.  
  
A/N: Review, Please!! I want to know if it's a hopeless cause or not... I love writing this story, but I have two others going at the moment so, I want to know if this one's worth it. Thanks. 


	2. Old Photos and Pen Pals

A/N: Wow! I didn't expect so many reviews...! That's great! Okay, next part!  
  
Katey opened the door for Susie, and allowed her inside. Susie greeted her with a hug, and then she darted to the bedroom, pulling Katey right behind.  
  
"Please tell me James doesn't know," Susie implied about Javier, right as she closed the door and locked it.  
  
"No, he doesn't know," Katey told her as she sat on the bed and stared at the carpet.  
  
"Are you going to go look for him?" Susie asked, interested.  
  
"Uh- no? It was over ten years ago, Suze. I don't even know if he still lives there."  
  
"Of course he still lives there! Where else would he go, for heaven's sake?"  
  
"I don't know, Susie," Katey whined as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I have two kids now-"  
  
"That aren't yours," Susie butted in.  
  
"Don't say that! Just because James was married to someone else for three years does not mean that I cannot call those children my own!" Katey shouted.  
  
"Ssh... calm down. I was just stating the obvious."  
  
Susie walked over to Katey and sat down next to her.  
  
"What 'obvious'?" Katey asked, rather coldly.  
  
"I mean... if you do meet Javier again..."  
  
"Are you suggesting that I will leave my husband and children?" Katey asked, rising up from the bed.  
  
"A husband that you don't love," Susie retorted.  
  
"I- I- I have to pack," Katey mumbled, wiping away something from her eye.  
  
Katey squatted down and removed something from under the bed. It was an old shoebox, looking rather ragged from being tossed around for at least thirteen years.  
  
"Is that what I think it is?" Susie asked, trying to change the subject.  
  
Katey looked at the box and smiled. Susie crouched down next to Katey, and pulled the box close to her as she rested her back against the bed. She opened it, and gasped. At the top was a picture- and not just any picture. A picture of Christmas Eve, 1958. A picture of Katey and Javier.  
  
"Look! Look, Katey! Look!" Susie squealed.  
  
Katey turned and looked at the picture. Javier was posed with his hand in the air- it must have been when the dance had finished. The two looked so happy, Katey smiling, Javier looking at her with loving eyes.  
  
"God, did that dress look that tacky on me?" Katey laughed.  
  
"I didn't think it looked tacky! I thought it looked rather... sexy," Susie said with delight.  
  
Susie dug further into the box, pulling out torn pictures, little mementoes, including the flower Javier had given her on New Year's Eve.  
  
"Oh, I remember this!" Susie exclaimed, pulling out the flower.  
  
"From his mother's own garden..." Katey remembered.  
  
The two stared at the box, their eyes running over various photos, when there was a knock on the door.  
  
"Momma?" Jessy called.  
  
Katey walked over and opened the door for her daughter.  
  
"Yes?" Katey asked, opening the door a crack.  
  
"Daddy just called... fantastic news!" Jessy was smiling from ear to ear.  
  
"What, dear?" Katey's spirits started to perk up a bit.  
  
"I got a pen-pal from Cuba at school," Jessy explained. "He wrote me a letter... and I'm supposed to write him back before we leave."  
  
"That's wonderful, honey!" Katey exclaimed, and waited for her daughter to explain more.  
  
"He's going to show me around when we get there... he seems real super."  
  
"What's his name, honey?"  
  
"Rafael Suarez," Jessy replied.  
  
A/N: Ooooo... suspense! I wonder if any of you remember who Rafael is...? Anyways, REVIEW!!! 


	3. Cuba Awaits

Katey picked up her blue leather suitcases, and swung her carry-on bag over her shoulder. She then stuck her hat on, and waved one last, sorry good- bye to her bedroom, longing to lock herself up in there forever and never come out.  
  
She closed the door and smiled at her children, who were anxiously waiting in the doorway, waiting for the bell boy to come up with a luggage rack. James was patiently sitting in his armchair, rolling his thumbs between each other. Jessy sat on the floor, vigorously writing in a notebook.  
  
'No doubt writing to Rafael,' Katey thought, feeling a surge go through her body.  
  
James Jr., or JJ as his family would call him, was interested in a rather ragged and old comic book, with grease stains and rips. It had obviously been read once... or twice before. Katey chuckled a bit for the first time she had for the past two days. Her son was a chubby, short 11- year-old, with red hair and a face full of freckles. The red hair had obviously come from his biological mother, January.  
  
January Jacobs had been James' girlfriend before he moved to Cuba, and when he moved back, she evidently still had a thing for him. So, six months after James had moved back, they were married. They were together long enough to have Jessica and James (Jessy and James were named to keep with the 'J' theme of the family, and Katey had broken it). After about two and a half years of marriage, January got up and left out of the blue. That was where Katey came in.  
  
"Mommy! Can we go now?" Jessy whined.  
  
"Be patient, darling. It's a virtue," James replied to his daughter, not opening his eyes.  
  
Katey looked at her 13-year-old daughter as she scowled a bit at her father, and returned to racing her hand across the paper. Jessy was a beautiful girl, far more beautiful than any of her friends. She had long, cascading, chestnut-colored hair which reached the bottom of her waist. Her eyes were deep green and large. Her nose was probably the hardest to describe; it was small, nicely-shaped, and, in other words, perfect. She had a gorgeous smile; her lips were a cherry-red. Her skin was golden, not too brown; just enough to make it the perfect tan.  
  
"Mom! Come on!" James snapped his fingers together in front of his mother's face.  
  
"Wha- oh!" Katey stuttered, breaking her train of thought.  
  
The bell boy stood with most of the luggage packed into the rack and an annoyed face. Katey waved a hand in order to apologize, and then laid her luggage in front of him to put on the rack.  
  
The four lugged themselves down to the main lobby, officially checked out, and then left the building for the last time. Jessy still had her nose in her notebook, JJ was interested in an ice cream cone, and James was busy waving and saying good-bye to everyone, he being the businessman he was. Katey stood by his side, being a loyal wife. She put a smile on her face, and graciously waved as they all piled into the cab, and took off to the airport. 


	4. Havana Again

The Cuban sun shined onto Jessy Phelps' face as the airplane rode into the Havana Airport. She packed her journal back into her pack, and stood, stretching her arms.  
  
"Come on, Jessy!" JJ said, beckoning her with an arm.  
  
She turned and walked the few steps down the aisle. First Class always had that advantage. First ones on, first ones off. She took the gloved hand of the Hispanic attendant helping guests off the plane, and stepped into the sunny atmosphere that was Cuba. She took a deep breath of the air, and immediately begun to cough it out.  
  
Her brother quickly found the problem. He pointed out a huge building, a plant of some sort, about a thousand yards away. It was producing huge clouds of thick smoke, and they were continuing over their way. Jessy scowled at it as she continued into the terminal.  
  
She looked around, noticing that the terminal wasn't as... clean as the one back home.  
  
'No, this is your home now,' Jessy thought, scolding herself.  
  
"Nice flight, darling?" James came behind his daughter and squeezed his shoulder.  
  
"Beautiful, Daddy!" She said, looking around.  
  
"Our luggage has been taken care of; let's go find our cab," he suggested, taking his wife's arm.  
  
"Jessica, pull your skirt down!" Katey said, noticing quite a few young boys looking their way.  
  
Jessy was wearing a strappy pink dress which came to mid-thigh at the moment. Not exactly seventies fashion, but she adored it just the same. Besides, it looked much better on her here than it did back in Chicago.  
  
"Yes, Mother," Jessy sighed, and pulled the bottom of her dress near her knee.  
  
The family climbed into the black cab waiting outside, and fit themselves comfortably. JJ rolled down the window and stuck his head out, making his unruly hair stick to his sucker. Katey scolded him and made him close the window, and then began to desperately fix his hair. James sat in the front, talking politics and other boring things with the cab driver. So that left Jessy to stare out the window, her hand on her chin.  
  
She wondered what Rafael would look like.  
  
'... and I bet he has a great tan,' Jessy considered. 'And green eyes... no, brown. Maybe green. But probably brown. And black hair! Messy, black hair. Just like Raul in the fifth grade... he was hot. Oh, I hope he's tall! All the guys in Illinois are really short...'  
  
Jessy was interrupted by the sound of a door 'thud', which made her double-take to the car door. The seats next to her were empty.  
  
"That didn't take very long," Jessy said to her father, who was still sitting in front.  
  
"It's been thirty minutes, darling," James said, twisting to see his daughter.  
  
"Oh. Well, I guess we should get out then?" she said, blushing. She had never met Rafael and she was already obsessed.  
  
"Might be a sensible idea," James smiled.  
  
He climbed out of his seat, and then turned to open Jessy's door.  
  
"Your palace awaits, m'lady," James said, beckoning with his hand to the hotel.  
  
Jessy got out, and walked around the car to see the hotel. 'Hotel Oceana', it read.  
  
"Wow. This place is... big!" Jessy said, smiling.  
  
"James!" Jessy heard someone call her father's name.  
  
She turned to see a lady in a white flowery dress coming their way.  
  
"Eve!" James smiled, and walked over to the lady. They exchanged kisses on each cheek, and then turned to Jessy, who stood staring.  
  
"This is my daughter, Jessica Anne," James introduced her.  
  
Jessy shuddered at her full name. The woman, however, walked over in her one-hundred dollar sandals and bent over to greet Jessy, even though they were the same height. She held out her hand, smiling her trophy-wife smile.  
  
"So nice to meet you, Jessy Anne! May I call you that? Oh, I'm sure you don't mind," she said. Jessy smirked insincerely. "I was a friend of your father's when he used to live here," she turned and smiled. Jessy frowned.  
  
"Did you know my mother?" Jessy asked.  
  
"Your mother..? Oh! Katey! Of course I knew her!" she smiled widely, trying to cover up her mistake.  
  
"Jessy, why don't you go up to the room and keep your mother and brother company? I'll be up soon," James suggested.  
  
"There's no reason for her to stay stuffed up in that room! My daughter and her friends are sitting by the pool. Why don't you put your swimsuit on and go say hi?" she asked, addressing James more that Jessy.  
  
"I don't have a problem with it. Go ahead," James encouraged her.  
  
Jessy shrugged and continued up the stairs. Making friends wasn't a bad idea. She reached her room number, unlocked it, and walked in. Her mother or brother weren't in sight, so she dug through her suitcase and pulled out a light blue bathing suit. She pulled it on, and traded her white sandals in for tan ones.  
  
"Okay, towel, sunglasses... I think that's it," she muttered to herself.  
  
Jessy walked down the staircase to the pool, and walked through the doors. Immediately she saw Eve waving frantically to her, calling her over.  
  
"Jessy Anne, this is my daughter, Selena," she introduced a slender girl sitting on the side of the pool with her feet in the water.  
  
Selena pulled her sunglasses down, rotating her head to face Jessy. She smiled at Jessy and looked her over.  
  
"Come stick your feet in the water. Feels nice," Selena offered.  
  
Jessy took the offer and walked over to the side, sitting down and plunging her feet into the water. She hadn't been in a pool for over two years. She smiled, closing her eyes pleasantly. She then felt several bodies closing in on her.  
  
"These are my friends, Margie, Cynthia, Ben, and Marc," Selena said.  
  
Jessy opened her eyes to four boys and girls surrounding her. The two boys were in the pool, and the two girls took seats next to her.  
  
"It's Jessy, right?" Margie asked.  
  
"Uh, yeah," Jessy smiled. She felt a bit intimidated by these kids, though she wasn't too sure why.  
  
"Excited for school tomorrow?" Ben asked, his voice a bit flat.  
  
"In some aspects," Jessy said flirtatiously. Ben was cute.  
  
"We have to jet, guys. Party starts at seven," Nancy warned.  
  
Jessy's ears perked up. Party? She wanted to go!  
  
"Right. Oh, Jessy! You want to come with us to a party tonight? It's at the country club. Perfectly safe," Selena offered.  
  
"Yeah! I'd love to," Jessy smiled, getting up.  
  
Jessy noticed Margie and Nancy scowling, Marc and Ben not paying any attention. Selena didn't see their glares, since she was busy writing a number on Jessy's hand.  
  
"Just call this number when you're ready, and we'll come up and get you, 'K?" Selena said through the pen cap between her teeth.  
  
"Great," Jessy smiled weakly.  
  
"See you then!" Selena called, as Margie and Nancy whisked her away, bombarding her with questions as to why she invited Jessy. Ben and Marc pulled themselves out of the water, and left, but not before Ben gave her a small wink.  
  
She smiled and continued in the opposite direction towards her room, any thoughts of Rafael Suarez completely gone from her mind. 


	5. The One I've Been Waiting For

A/N: So, there's some Spanish in this chapter. I've only been taking the language for two years, so if it's not perfect, I'm sorry. I've provided translation for those who don't speak Spanish also. (And if you're not going to read this chapter just because it looks like it's going to be all about Jessy, it's not. Read on if you want to see Katey/Javier stuff.)  
  
Never in her life had Jessica Anne Phelps looked so good, or felt so nervous. Jessy had spent the past two hours picking out a dress, doing her hair and makeup, and calming herself down. She hadn't even been able to eat anything at dinner.  
  
"Jessy, are you ready to go?" James called to his daughter.  
  
"Let me call first," Jessy replied. "5-8-3," she recited out loud as she dialed the numbers.  
  
"He-lo?" Selena's voice rang.  
  
"Hi, it's Jessy."  
  
"Hey! Are you ready?"  
  
"Yeah! Ready and nervous," Jessy giggled.  
  
"Don't worry 'bout it. We'll meet you at the club in fifteen, alright?"  
  
"Alright. Thanks again, Selena."  
  
"Call me Sel! Everyone else does," Selena said brightly.  
  
"Okay Selen- Sel," Jessy said.  
  
"See you in a bit, Chika," Selena hung up the phone.  
  
Jessy put the phone back and wrapped a white sweater over her arms. She had a pretty light yellow dress with a low neckline on. Her hair was pulled into a French twist as the back of her head. Her mother had given her tips on how to dress, since Cuban fashion was nothing like Illinois wear. Jessy felt as if she were still in the fifties, seeing as how they dressed.  
  
"You look gorgeous," Katey said, wrapping her arms around Jessy's neck.  
  
"You don't think it's too- too?" Jessy asked uncertainly.  
  
"Trust me; you completely fit the part," Katey glowed at her daughter.  
  
"Let's go, my beautiful women," James smiled as he entered the front hallway.  
  
Katey and Jessy smiled as James wrapped a shawl around Katey.  
  
"Look what I found, Doll," James held out an old photo ripped at the corner.  
  
It was a picture of the two at Katey's first Country Club dance. James' arm was wrapped around Katey's waist and the two were smiling brightly. Yet it didn't exactly brighten up Katey's face as much as it did James'. Katey remembered what had happened later that night, when James practically mauled her in his car.  
  
"Doesn't your mother look splendid, Jessy?" James looked to his daughter.  
  
"Mom, you're beautiful!" Jessy exclaimed.  
  
"Let's get going, we don't want you to be late," Katey said hurriedly.  
  
Jessy climbed out of the cab when they had reached the party twenty minutes later. It was gorgeously decorated, lit up everywhere.  
  
"Bye sweetie. We will be by later to pick you up," James kissed the top of Jessy's forehead and closed the window, driving off with Katey.  
  
Jessy climbed the steps to the front of the party. Selena was waiting right by the entrance, staring off into the distance.  
  
"Hey! Was wondering where you'd got to," Selena greeted.  
  
"Sorry. We had a little car trouble," Jessy lied.  
  
"No problem," Selena said. Jessy waited for her to continue on into the party, but she stayed with her back to the wall.  
  
"Are you not going to..." Jessy asked.  
  
"Go in there? No way. That place is too corny for me. We're gonna party!" Selena said, excited.  
  
"Where are all of your friends?"  
  
"Friends? Oh, you mean the snob squad. I just say they're my friends because my over-controlling mother was around. I hate those four! They seem to like me, but I just hang around them when I'm forced," Selena explained, still not making eye contact with Jessy.  
  
"So who are your real friends?" Jessy asked.  
  
"Don't really got any. 'Cept for you. You'll be my friend, won't ya Jess?" Selena asked.  
  
Jessy nodded gratefully. She had Selena all wrong. She had imagined her to be a stuck-up snob, but she was wild and crazy once you got to know her. Selena was the type of girl Jessy had always wanted to be, but she never had the guts to.  
  
"Good. You don't mind me callin' you Jess, do ya?" Selena asked, finally looking towards Jessy.  
  
"No... not at all. It's better than your mother calling me Jessy Anne," Jessy laughed.  
  
"Sorry 'bout that. My mother's a stuck-up snob like the rest of them. But you... you're different," Selena smiled.  
  
"It's not a big deal. I loathe my middle name, though."  
  
"I like it. Selena Anne... whatcha think?"  
  
"Sounds good. Want to trade?" Jessy laughed.  
  
"Trust me, you don't want my middle name."  
  
"What is it?" Jessy asked curiously.  
  
"Maude! What kind of a mother with half a brain names their child Selena Maude?"  
  
Jessy snorted. Maude was the most hilarious name she'd ever heard of.  
  
"I have an Auntie Maude. I hate her!"  
  
"See? I told you."  
  
"You're hilarious, Sel," Jessy smiled.  
  
"Yeah? You're pretty awesome yourself, Jess. Whoa!" Selena whipped her head down the street.  
  
There was a group of kids halfway around the corner dancing to the music playing in the Club. But they were doing it all different. These kids actually had moves.  
  
"Now they're my kind of people!" Selena exclaimed.  
  
"They're good."  
  
"Good? They're way better than good! Look at how they move to the music! Come on, Jess. I think we're gonna make some Cuban friends tonight."  
  
Selena grabbed Jessy's arm and began down the street.  
  
"No, Sel. I don't-"  
  
"Take that ugly sweater off first, though," Selena told her, not paying attention to what she was saying.  
  
"But-"  
  
"Just hang it on that rack over there. It's not gonna go anywhere."  
  
Jessy reluctantly hung her white sweater on the rack, and turned to face Selena again. Now she was fixing her makeup in a compact.  
  
"Come 'ere. Your lips look too dry," Selena told her. She rubbed some cherry-red lipstick onto Jessy's lips. "Smack 'em together."  
  
Jessy did as she was told, but only to be presented by a new problem. Now Selena seemed to be shortening her dress at the bottom.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"You're dress is too long. I'm making it look sexier."  
  
"Sel, I don't-"  
  
"Okay. One more thing."  
  
Selena reached behind Jessy and took out her twist, letting her hair flow.  
  
"Wow. I wish I could have hair like yours," Selena said with a bit of jealousy.  
  
Selena had frizzy copper-red hair which flew everywhere. Jessy thought it was very unique, but she doubted Selena would feel the same way.  
  
"Now you look Cuban!" Selena pulled back, admiring her work.  
  
"What did I look like before?"  
  
"A stuck-up snob at a Country Club. So did I, when my mother dropped me off. Now come on!"  
  
"Sel, I don't know if I want to!" Jessy protested.  
  
"What else do you want to do? These kids are cool, trust me."  
  
"How do you know? You don't even know who they are!"  
  
"So? What's life without taking risks, I always say. Now come on, you sexy thing," Selena giggled.  
  
Jessy had to laugh. She clobbered over in her heels next to Selena. They walked down the street until they came within ten feet of the group. There were at least a dozen of them, maybe more.  
  
"Ooo! Look at him," Selena squealed, pointing to a boy in the very middle of the throng.  
  
"Wow," Jessy said dreamily.  
  
The boy in the middle was dancing like Jessy had never seen before. He was moving his body in every other direction, completely clueless to his surroundings. It also happened that he was gorgeous. The sun still hadn't set, so it was light enough for her to see. He had messy black hair with many defined features. His left ear was pierced with a gold earring in his cartilage. Jessy couldn't see much more, he was dancing too quickly to see.  
  
"Let's get a closer look," Selena whispered.  
  
The two walked closer to the group, right as the music turned off. They all started to clap, congratulating each other in Spanish.  
  
"Do you know what they're saying?" Jessy asked Selena.  
  
"Kinda. My mother insisted on me taking Latin, only Lord knows why."  
  
The boy in the middle shook hands with a boy about his size, speaking rapidly with him. He turned to talk to a girl behind him when he spotted Selena and Jessy.  
  
"Hey!" the boy addressed the two girls. He advanced towards them, stopping five inches in front. "What're you doing here?"  
  
"We saw you dancing! Great moves." Selena smiled.  
  
"¡Quieren el baile!" the boy laughed to his friends, telling them the girls loved the dancing. Some of the boys laughed, and the girls just gave them dagger eyes. Jessy was beyond a doubt more beautiful than any of them, and they knew it.  
  
"Uh..." Jessy stuttered.  
  
"What? You don't speak the language?" he teased.  
  
"Well, I-"  
  
"We don't want any watchers, por favor. Go back to your fancy party, and we'll take care of the real dancing."  
  
He turned his back to them, Jessy looking crushed, Selena looking angry. Jessy started to turn back, when Selena grabbed her arm, forcing her to whip around.  
  
"Where are you goin'? Show 'em what you're made of!" she said fiercely. The music had begun again, and the boy was back to doing his moves.  
  
"No, Sel, we really should-"  
  
"Don't go chickening out! They're testing our strength."  
  
Selena pushed Jessy into the crowd, making her stumble right into the boy. He stopped dancing for a second, and looked her straight in the eye.  
  
"¿Tienes miedo?" he whispered, asking her if she was afraid.  
  
Jessy stared at him blankly.  
  
"Are you afraid?" he asked, cutely rolling his 'r's.  
  
"No," she said indignantly.  
  
"Then dance," he said, taking her hand and spinning her around.  
  
Jessy had no idea what happened right then. She felt her body take off, moving without consent. It turned, kicked, and jumped in every which way, moving in sync with the cute boy. The rest of the crowd moved apart from them, the boys nodding approvingly, the girls scowling and whispering to each other. The music then abruptly stopped, and the two kids came to a halt.  
  
Jessy smiled, putting her hands on her hips and smugly smiling at him.  
  
"I've seen better," he said, wrapping an arm around a cute girl near him.  
  
"What?" Jessy asked; she couldn't believe it what he said.  
  
"I said, I've seen better. What? Don't speak English either?" he said in an annoyed tone.  
  
All Jessy could do was feel hurt. But she didn't let it show, she just held her head up, and walked back over to Selena.  
  
"Come on. He's a jerk," Selena said, patting Jessy on the back. They began to walk away, when Jessy stopped.  
  
"Wait here."  
  
Jessy walked back over to the boy, standing in front of him to get his attention.  
  
"What now?" His arms were now around two waists.  
  
"What's your name?" Jessy asked, glaring at him.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Just answer the question, please."  
  
"You tell me first."  
  
Jessy sighed.  
  
"Katey... Miller," Jessy lied.  
  
"Katey Miller, huh? Rafael Suarez," he held out his hand.  
  
The rest of his friends left, leaving him, Jessy, and Selena. Jessy's eyes grew wide. This was Rafael? Her Rafael? It couldn't be. Rafael was supposed to be this... God. He was supposed to be this sweet, kind boy who looked gorgeous. This was an idiotic, pompous boy who looked gorgeous, but better.  
  
"Are you going to shake my hand or not?"  
  
She took his hand, staring off into space.  
  
"¡Rafael! ¿Dondé eres?" Jessy heard this voice off in the distance, asking where Rafael was.  
  
"¡Aquí!" Rafael responded, letting go of her hand, responding where he was.  
  
"¡Buscando por tú!" a young man came towards them, telling Rafael that he had been looking for him.  
  
"¿Cuánto tiempo?" Rafael asked for how long, turning to look at the man.  
  
"¡Treinta minutos!" the young man responded, saying for thirty minutes.  
  
"Lo Siento Javier," Rafael told him he was sorry.  
  
"Who's your friend?" Javier asked him, nodding towards Jessy.  
  
"She's not my friend," Rafael told him. Jessy didn't flinch.  
  
"Well who is she?" Javier asked.  
  
"Katey something," Rafael said, not looking back at Jessy.  
  
Javier looked at Jessy for a minute.  
  
"Katey... what?"  
  
"Mil-" Jessy began.  
  
"Miller? Katey Miller?" Javier asked with hungry eyes.  
  
"Uh, yes. Katey Miller."  
  
Javier looked at her, studying her inch by inch, over and over.  
  
"You're not Katey Miller," Javier said instantly.  
  
"How do you know? I don't even know you," Jessy said, putting her arms on her hips.  
  
"But I do know Katey Miller. You're not her."  
  
"Javier, no..." Rafael began to stop Javier.  
  
"How do you know Katey?" Javier advanced towards Jessy.  
  
"She's... my mother," Jessy told him truthfully.  
  
"What? Your..." Javier cussed in Spanish. "Who's your father?"  
  
"Why should you care?" Jessy looked him straight in the eye.  
  
"Just tell me who your father is!" Javier yelled.  
  
"James Phelps," Jessy whimpered.  
  
"¿Ese perro?" Javier yelled in a whisper. He began to yell in Spanish when a black cab pulled up to the side of the street.  
  
"Jessy! Selena! What are you two doing down here?" Katey ran onto the sidewalk.  
  
"Your name is Jessy? You're Jessy Phelps?" Rafael asked in amazement.  
  
"Yes," Jessy blushed.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"I'm sorry, I just-"  
  
Javier's head had been pressed against the wall until now. He looked up, only to see Katey standing right by Jessy. His eyes grew as big as they ever could, his hands began to sweat, his body tingling all over.  
  
"Jessica, who are these people?" Katey asked.  
  
"You should know," Javier said bravely.  
  
Kately looked up, straight into Javier's eyes. She felt sparks flying everywhere possible, her body warming up, forgetting about anyone and everyone in the world except him. Every moment she had ever spent with him flashed before her eyes, every feeling she had ever experienced floating up.  
  
"Javier...?" Katey whispered, before everything went black.  
  
A/N: Longest chapter! Review..! 


	6. It Can't Be

"Ohhh..." Katey sat up, her head aching. She had a cold cloth pressed to her forehead, and she felt like she had just gone down Niagara Falls in a barrel; twice.  
  
She almost leapt up from the bed when the phone rang.  
  
"Darling! How are you sweets?" James' voice came over the reception.  
  
"Grandly, Sweetums!" Katey couldn't have hated his voice anymore than she did now.  
  
"Listen, I have so much work tonight- no chance of me coming home anytime soon. Would you please give Jessy and JJ a hug for me?" he asked in an innocent tone.  
  
"Of course, love. I must go- having midnight tea!" Katey said with the fakest enthusiasm she could muster.  
  
"Sounds delightful! Kiss kiss!" James made kissing noises over the phone, and hung up.  
  
"Damn you to hell," Katey said out loud at she heard the click.  
  
She let her head rest against the pillow. Here she was, twenty-seven years old, almost twenty-eight. She was married to the scum of the earth, and she loved a man who probably despised her at the moment. She was also a liar. No midnight tea, of course. How did she ever get herself into this mess? Oh yeah. She met Javier.  
  
Katey pondered if James was really working late. Why would they make him work late on his first night? It would be real fun if he was cheating on her.  
  
"Then I could divorce him," she sighed out loud. "Oh, I wish," she rolled over to the other side of the bed.  
  
She caught a glance of the clock. It was ten thirty. JJ was down in the pool with some friends he had made earlier that day; she could see him plain as day from the balcony. But where was Jessy?  
  
***  
  
"I'm sorry, guys, but this is really messed up," Selena commented. She, Rafael, and Jessy were walking along the beach.  
  
"What's so messed up about it? My mother is in love with Rafael's brother. It's as simple as that," Jessy replied, amazingly unnerved.  
  
"Please, don't say that!" Rafael commented.  
  
"And you're okay with it?" Selena asked with raised eyebrows, not paying any attention to Rafael.  
  
"I've always felt closer to my mother," Jessy replied, her eyes shifting from her feet to Selena. "In fact, I've despised my father ever since I walked in on him and another woman nine months ago," she said quietly.  
  
Selena gasped.  
  
"Oh, Jess, I'm so sorry!" Selena moved to place a comforting arm around Jessy's arm.  
  
"It's alright, really. I've gotten used to it," she said, pulling away from Selena's grasp. Her eyes cast over to a quiet, thoughtful Rafael.  
  
"I, um, have to get home before mother gets back," Selena excused herself, winking at Jessy.  
  
"Bye!" Jessy called after Selena, who was now running down the shore, her shoes in hand. "So..." Jessy peered her eyes over to Rafael, not tilting her head up.  
  
"I really have to get home too," Rafael said, almost at a whisper.  
  
"No, please don't go," Jessy grabbed Rafael's lower arm. "We have to talk."  
  
"I know that. But not here," Rafael looked up, not releasing himself from Jessy's grip.  
  
"Why not?" Jessy looked at him with questioning eyes.  
  
Rafael shook his head.  
  
"It's just too- risky."  
  
"But Rafael-" Jessy looked into his brown eyes.  
  
"You know what I'm talking about. My brother, my friends-"  
  
"Screw your friends! My mother loves your damn brother and we have to do something about it!" she yelled back at him.  
  
"Hey! Don't talk like that!" he pulled his arm away from her.  
  
"You don't think that we can be friends just because- because-"  
  
"Go on. Say it. Say that you're richer than I am. Say it!"  
  
Jessy was quiet for a second.  
  
"I- I can't."  
  
"That's right. You can't say it because you don't want to admit that there is no possible way that we will ever be friends." he looked back at her. "Those kids- the white ones. They're your friends."  
  
"Yeah. I guess you're right. And them- the Mexican ones. They're yours," she said with a cold tone, and walked off.  
  
"I'm Cuban!" Rafael yelled back to her, and began to walk backwards towards his home. 


	7. Selena's World

Jessy's joints groaned as she lifted herself from her bed. She could barely move. She avoided opening her eyes for a couple of seconds, and when she finally did crack them open a bit, the sun greeted her full-blast.  
  
'Damn sun,' she thought.  
  
She walked over to her closet, opening it, finding all her clothes already put up. She removed one of her new school uniforms with one hand, rubbing her right eye with the other. She sat at the vanity, brushing her hair out and pulling it back with a hair band.  
  
Once she was dressed and her face was washed, the smell of bacon filled her nose.  
  
'Oh God that smells retched,' Jessy thought. She usually would have jumped at the chance to eat bacon, but today was different.  
  
"Hello Darling!" Jessy heard her father greet her as she glided into the living room.  
  
"Father," she remarked.  
  
"Your mother has an awful headache. She won't be up for a while. Bacon?" he said awkwardly in a happy tone.  
  
"No. I'm going to find Sel and go to school," Jessy said as she picked up her book bag and rushed out the door before her father could get a word in edge wise.  
  
It didn't take a long time to find Selena's room. One floor down, two doors to the right. Exactly as she had described.  
  
Jessy knocked on the door, finding that Selena had been on her way out the door.  
  
"Oh... sorry Jess!" Selena exclaimed as she pushed the door into Jessy's nose.  
  
"Yeah... it's fine," Jessy said, rubbing her nose.  
  
"Lookin' hot!" Selena said as they began down the hallway, Sel closing the door behind her.  
  
"It's just a uniform. How could anyone possibly look hot in a uniform?" Jessy asked Selena, looking at her, noticing her hair was a bit more controlled today.  
  
"I woke up extra early this morning and almost killed my hair straightening it," Selena remarked, as if she had read Jessy's mind, and also not answering her question.  
  
"It looks nice," Jessy smiled. Being around Selena cheered her up a bit.  
  
The girls walked to their school for what seemed like an eternity in silence. When they finally reached the rich, snobbish, and not to mention all-white school, Jessy unhappily recognized Selena's so-called friends waiting outside for her.  
  
"Where were you last night?" Margie immediately asked when the two reached the entrance to the school.  
  
"Getting our groove on," Selena smiled, not facing Margie.  
  
"What the hell does that mean?" Cynthia asked.  
  
"It means that we were having fun while you four were dancing to big band music and Shawn Kane," Selena smiled, laughing at herself as she pushed open the front door.  
  
"Hey! I like big band!" Marc commented.  
  
"I heard you were hanging out with those latin kids," Ben added.  
  
"So what if we were?" Selena asked, this time stopping to face him.  
  
"Nothing... it's just... I'd be careful if I were you." Ben said cautiously.  
  
"Yeah, you never know when they're gonna jack you for cigars!" Margie snorted, making Cynthia choke on the croissant she was eating.  
  
Selena's eyes grew a glare in them.  
  
"Margie, do you have a problem?" Selena crossed her arms.  
  
"Not as big as yours," Margie and Cynthia snorted again.  
  
"Did you know that I've always thought that you're ugly, you smell, and you have the worst taste in clothes?" Selena's face grew smug.  
  
Margie and Cynthia's smiles faded.  
  
"And also, Cyn, did you know that the girl Johnny Farber cheated on you with was me?"  
  
"Why you little-" Cynthia's eyes grew to small slits.  
  
"Cynthia, why don't you and your little Malibu Barbie friends go and F yourselves?" Jessy finally stepped into the conversation.  
  
"Oh!" Margie and Cynthia gasped. They ran off into the opposite hallway, Marc and Ben following close behind.  
  
"Welcome to my world, Jess," Selena smiled, putting her arm around Jessy's shoulder and smiling.  
  
"Great to be here," Jessy smiled back.  
  
The school day went by pretty fast, compared to Jessy's long ones back at home. At the end of the day, Jessy was anxious to get back to the hotel and go swimming.  
  
"Come on, Sel!" Jessy urged Selena at her locker as she was applying lipstick. "What do you need lipstick for anyways?"  
  
"You'll see," Selena said as she replaced the cap onto the stick.  
  
"What?"  
  
"We're going to take a little detour home," Selena said with an evil grin.  
  
"Oh no. No way."  
  
"Hon, live a little!" Selena exclaimed, grabbing Jessy's arm.  
  
"I don't know how living I'll be once you're done with me!"  
  
"Neither do I," Selena turned back and smiled. 


End file.
